Dronfield’s Lewis Taylor will find out tonight who is standing in his way of becoming English middleweight champion.

A week ago unbeaten Taylor, 25, stopped George Kandelaki, a more experienced Georgian, in the fifth round at the Octagon Centre, Sheffield, his second KO in 16 attempts.

Lewis Taylor lands a punch on George Kandelaki - Photo by James Williamson

Taylor’s promoter Dennis Hobson now expects his fighter to face the winner of tonight’s Damon Jones of Leeds v Stafford’s Grant Cunningham scrap at the Chase Leisure Centre, Cannock, Staffordshire, an English middleweight title eliminator.

The Derbyshire man was cut on the left eyebrow in the fourth round but was delighted to have recorded his first stoppage since March 2013.

He told The Star after his battle on Ross Burkinshaw’s undercard: “It was hard work, he was a horrible kid to fight.

While frustrated by the clash of heads which needed stitches, he said: I am chuffed - over the moon, I just want to move on. It looks like I am fighting for the English next.”

Burkinshaw, an interested spectator at last night’s Dave Coldwell show at iceSheffield (see report on this website) says that while his WBO European success at the Octagon was overshadowed by crowd trouble, he remains delighted to have added to his Commonwealth title.